White Sox GM Kenny Williams said he was close to making a major trade before Sunday afternoon's deadline. The deal appeared to involve Philadlephia Phillies closer Billy Wagner.
"There was certainly something impactful that died." Williams said. "It was killed by the other team's ownership group. As I told Jerry Reinsdorf, we were aggressively out there trying to make things happen, and I thanked him for having the (financial) freedom."

Fredsox

08-01-2005, 04:11 PM

This wouldn't be the first time an owner nixed a trade. If memory servers we had Garland dealt to the Angels for Ersted last year or the year b4 and the Angels ownership killed it. Clearly it turned out for the better, but it makes you realize how much autonomy a GM does or doesn't have. The "little" deals they can do what they want, but trading a star requires ownership sign-off.

If the Phillies owners killed it, it would have to be because of the expectation of a negative fan reaction. You'd have to think the Phillies GM though it was best for the team or he wouldn't agreed to it with KW.

BeviBall!

08-01-2005, 05:05 PM

This wouldn't be the first time an owner nixed a trade. If memory servers we had Garland dealt to the Angels for Ersted last year or the year b4 and the Angels ownership killed it. Clearly it turned out for the better, but it makes you realize how much autonomy a GM does or doesn't have. The "little" deals they can do what they want, but trading a star requires ownership sign-off.

If the Phillies owners killed it, it would have to be because of the expectation of a negative fan reaction. You'd have to think the Phillies GM though it was best for the team or he wouldn't agreed to it with KW.

Exactly. In fact, a lot of trades get kiboshed due to the owner thumbs down.

SoxxoS

08-01-2005, 06:05 PM

This from the Daily Herald:

That writer from the Herald could of inserted Aubrey Huff's or Manny Ramirez's name and that quote still applies...

ChiSoxRowand

08-01-2005, 09:51 PM

I doubt Philly agreed to deal Wagner. They are only 2 1/2 games out of the wild card. They weren't gonna sell.

voodoochile

08-01-2005, 09:56 PM

I doubt Philly agreed to deal Wagner. They are only 2 1/2 games out of the wild card. They weren't gonna sell.

Yeah, the firestorm will be intense the next time someone white flags it. I bet JR was pushing harder to make the trade for that exact reason...:tongue:

MRKARNO

08-01-2005, 09:58 PM

This wouldn't be the first time an owner nixed a trade. If memory servers we had Garland dealt to the Angels for Ersted last year or the year b4 and the Angels ownership killed it. Clearly it turned out for the better, but it makes you realize how much autonomy a GM does or doesn't have. The "little" deals they can do what they want, but trading a star requires ownership sign-off.

Hopefully this non-trade works out a lot like that non-trade. :D:

MushMouth

08-05-2005, 11:39 AM

FYI - I have a good friend in Philly who told me on talk radio it was reported that the Phils called Kenny Williams and asked for BUERHLE AND GARLAND for Wagner and Williams laughed and hung up on them.

Their gm is getting killed on the air...

still tho, it was talk radio.

fquaye149

08-05-2005, 11:51 AM

FYI - I have a good friend in Philly who told me on talk radio it was reported that the Phils called Kenny Williams and asked for BUERHLE AND GARLAND for Wagner and Williams laughed and hung up on them.

Their gm is getting killed on the air...

still tho, it was talk radio.

Buehrle and Garland for Pujols would be a ****ing laugh riot...much less Buehrle and Garland for Wagner.

It was probably a joke...like

"hey Kenny, how bad do you want Wagner?"

:KW:
"Real bad"

"All right I'll trade you him"

:KW:
"All right!!!"

"For Buehrle and Garland"

:KW:
"You bastard."

MushMouth

08-05-2005, 11:56 AM

He also said they offered Kenny Lofton and Padilla (avg starting pitcher) for Burnet and Pierre. ***?

He says they wanted to be able to say they "tried" but knowingly offered only ridiculous things so they'd get turned down.

It's pretty easy to see why the Braves have a stranglehold on that division. The Mets and Phils have been front office jokes.

Madvora

08-05-2005, 12:19 PM

Wait... Wait... Wait.
I read the same article. Didn't it start by saying that the rumors were that everyone thought that it must have been Wagner, but after all it was really Griffey? I think this is just the Griffey article cut off before it gets to that explaination.

I'll post if I can find that article.

- EDIT - Here's a similar one from the Suntimes

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sox/cst-spt-doug04.html
When the trade deadline expired Sunday, Williams admitted that a major acquisition nearly was completed. It was believed the impact player was Florida Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett or Philadelphia Phillies closer Billy Wagner.

''There was certainly something impactful that died,'' Williams said shortly after the deadline passed. ''It was killed by the other team's ownership group.''

The rumor fits on a number of levels. Griffey is an impact player, and he would give the Sox a big bat with Frank Thomas lost for the season.

mdep524

08-05-2005, 02:16 PM

FYI - I have a good friend in Philly who told me on talk radio it was reported that the Phils called Kenny Williams and asked for BUERHLE AND GARLAND for Wagner and Williams laughed and hung up on them.

Their gm is getting killed on the air...

still tho, it was talk radio. Ed Wade = fired at the end of this season, if the Phillies have any inclination to win, ever.

I would once again like to thank Ed Wade, Chuck LaMarr, Carl Lindner and Brian Sabean for absolutely nothing. You guys all suck.

fquaye149

08-05-2005, 02:31 PM

I remember reading an article in baseball weekly in 2002 about how flabbergasted he was when Schuerholz called him up and offered him Millwood for Estrada.